Economy and Society of the 1700s Flashcards
Catherine the Great
Yekaterina Alexeevna - Catherine II -most renowned and longest-ruling female leader of Russia (r. 1762-1796)
- came to power after a coup d’etat and assassination of her husband Peter III after the Seven Years’ War. -Russia grew larger and stronger
- modernized Russia, and the economy continued to rely on serfdom, which led to many rebellions (Pugachev’s Rebellion)
- She confirmed The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, which freed Russian nobles from military or state service.
Russian Charter of Nobility
- Issued by Catherine the Great in 1785
- Magnified aristocracy’s role in local and regional affairs
- Outlined rights and special privileges of the nobility such as tax exemption
Queen Isabella of Castile
- ruled 1474-1504
- commissioned Columbus, and linked the Castile crown to the New World (Americas)
- rigid monarch, ruled Americas through a Council of the Indies (controlled New Spain- Mexico, and Peru
- Spain governed this way until War of Spanish Succession.
The “Diplomatic Revolution”
In 1756, this was the reversal of longstanding diplomatic alliances in Europe. It included the Convention of Westminster signed by Britain and Prussia, and the alliance of France and Austria in response.
7 Years War
- Started May 15, 1756 between the French and British Colonies.
- Was also known as the French and Indian War
- Ended in February 1763 with the signing of the Treatise of Hubertisberg
Mercantilism
- Governments regulated trade and commerce in the hopes of increasing national wealth
- Term “mercantilism” used later by critics
- Drove Europe’s quest for empires
- Country’s wealth measured by bullion (mass count of all gold/silver in a country)
- Home country and colony trade exclusively with each other
- Assumed world’s resources were limited – growth of one nation’s economy came at the expense of other nation’s economies
- Primary goal: economic well-being of home country
- Better on paper than in practice
War of the Austrian Succession
- 1740-1748
- Frederick II of Prussia takes Austrian province of Silesia after the death of Habsburg Emperor Charles VI
- This upsets the balance of power
- Maria Theresa succeeds Charles VI, preserves the Habsburg Empire
- France sides with Prussia, which leads Great Britain to side with Austria
- War ends in stalemate with Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
East India Company
Ruled India with trade
founded by John Watts, started in 1600
ruled trade in India until 1733 when the state took control of the company
Eastern European Nobility
Austria & Hungary: Nobles possessed broad judicial powers over the pleasantry through manorial courts. Nobles enjoyed an exception from taxation. The wealthiest person being Prince Esterhazy of Hungary owning 10 million acres of land.
Prussia: 1740- Fredrick the Great made the position of the Junker class stronger. Nobles (mostly from the Junkers) made up a majority of the bureaucracy. Prussian nobles had extensive judicial authority over the serfs.
Poland: Thousands of nobles or szlachta, they were totally exempt from taxes in 1741. Until 1748, nobles possessed the rights of life and death of their serfs. Most nobles were actually poor, the few rich nobles had immense estates and strong political influences and power.
Russia: 18th century was the creation of nobility. Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725) linked state service and the noble social status through the Table of Ranks in 1722, causing a self-conscious class identity, and the nobles resisted the compulsory state services. In 1736, Empress Anne (1730-1740) reduced such service to twenty-five years. In 1762, Peter III (r.1762) exempted the greatest nobles entirely from compulsory service. In 1785, in the Charter of Nobility, Catherine the Great (r. 1762-1796) legally defined the rights and privileges of noble men and women in exchange for them to serve the state voluntarily. Noble privileges included: right to transmitting noble status to a nobleman’s wife and children, the judicial protection of noble rights and property, considerable power over the serfs, and exemption from personal taxes.
War of Jenkin’s ear
A conflict between Great Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748. It grew out of the rivalry of the two powers and led to involvement in the larger War of the Austrian Succession. The incident that gave the name to the war occurred in 1731 when, according to Robert Jenkins, master of the ship Rebecca, had his ear cut off by Spanish coast guards.
Industrial Revolution (1760-1840)
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production. This processes, improved efficiency of water power, the increasing use of steam power and the development of machine tools
Slavery: The Plantation System
- Had existed in Europe since “ Ancient Times”
- Slave were Black, and White
- The importance of slaves integrated Africans into European life
- Mostly taken from West Africa
- Total Slaves taken by Portugal, Spain, Denmark, France and England: 7-9 Million
War of Jenkin’s Ear
A conflict between Great Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748. It grew out of the rivalry of the two powers and led to involvement in the larger War of the Austrian Succession. The incident that gave the name to the war occurred in 1731 when, according to Robert Jenkins, master of the ship Rebecca, had his ear cut off by Spanish coast guards.
Agricultural Revolution
The transformation of the traditional agricultural system starting in Britain in 18th century. This transformation included the reallocation of land ownership to make farms more compact and the introduction of new machinery, and experimentation with new crops and crop rotations.
French Nobility
The french nobility was separated into two forms. Nobility of the Sword and the Robe. Nobility of the Sword usually had military experience and ran the provinces. Nobility of the Robe would hold government positions in Versailles. Both Nobles did not have to pay taxes.
